Three workers die at Tata Electronics' Hosur plant; Nalco Water confirms incident at utility facility

Nalco Water, an Ecolab company, on Tuesday confirmed that three workers employed by its subcontractor died in an incident at Tata Electronics' iPhone components manufacturing facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, and said it was cooperating with local authorities investigating the deaths.

Nalco Water, an Ecolab company, on Tuesday confirmed that three workers employed by its subcontractor died in an incident at Tata Electronics' iPhone components manufacturing facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, and said it was cooperating with local authorities investigating the deaths. The company said the incident occurred at a utility facility operated by Nalco Water.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident that resulted in the deaths of three workers engaged by a sub-contractor of Nalco Water, an Ecolab company, at the Tata Electronics site in Hosur, India," the company said in a statement. "This incident occurred in a utility facility, operated by Nalco Water. We are working with the local authorities in the investigation of this incident," it added.

The three workers died on Monday evening while carrying out maintenance work at an effluent treatment plant at Tata Electronics' Hosur facility, which manufactures components for Apple's iPhones. According to local authorities, the workers inhaled gas while inspecting an external nano-filtration tank at the wastewater treatment facility. They were subsequently taken to a hospital, where they were declared dead, reported Reuters.

Nalco Water said its immediate priority was to support the families of the deceased workers. "We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those impacted. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected and our first priority is to extend all possible support to the families," the company said.

Reiterating its commitment to workplace safety, Ecolab said, "Safety is a core value and is fundamental to everything we do at Ecolab. We take this incident extremely seriously." The deaths come amid growing scrutiny of Apple's manufacturing supply chain in India, which has emerged as a major production hub as the US technology company diversifies operations beyond China.

India currently accounts for roughly 25 per cent of global iPhone production, with Tata Electronics contributing about 40 per cent of iPhone assembly in the country. Tata's Hosur operations have faced disruptions in the past, including a fire at its components factory in September 2024 that halted production. The facility also faced regulatory concerns over alleged water pollution earlier this year, although the matter was subsequently resolved.

Separately, a ransomware attack affected an adjacent Tata Electronics iPhone manufacturing facility in Hosur earlier this year, exposing confidential company documents. (ANI)